About the Wine: The Spicy Vines 2015 Dragon’s Kiss Syrah is made from 100% Syrah grapes harvested form Windance Vineyards, a 2,800 foot elevation vineyard in the Sierra Foothills. The wine was aged 100% French oak barrels (30% new) for 22 months.

15.5% ABV

Flavor Profile: Out of the bottle of the Spicy Vines 2015 Dragon’s Kiss Syrah comes aromas of deep, macerated blueberries and blackberries, forest floor, and funk. This Syrah is dark, inky purple on the pour; in the glass, it’s a thick maroon with just a thin line of dusty purple along the outer-most perimeter. Initial aromas are of plump blueberries, blackberries, boysenberries, and black plums. Swirl and find florals of deep red roses, a line of acidity. Float the nose away from the and find the wine has a perfumey aura.

The palate of the Spicy Vines 2015 Dragon’s Kiss Syrah is dark, with dryness that starts about a quarter of the way through (yes, very early). The oak element is almost overwhelming, taking over a majority of the fruit flavors. When you find them, they are of those deeply ripened dark fruits mentioned above along with a background of those florals.

Food Pairing: This is a young wine. And by that I mean the winemaking style tastes very young. Obviously the vineyard produces aggressive fruit and, to my palate, the winemaking tastes a bit overworked. That being said, there are those who will enjoy this kind of thick-style of red wine (I can think of a few twitter friends who would love this wine as is, indeed).

My personal assessment is that I don’t see that aging this wine will add any benefit. When I assess a wine and conclude it would benefit from aging, it’s a wine that has all the right components, just out of proportion. This, however, feels like it’s actually missing elements. However, my partner in wine crime said he’d be curious to retry the wine after it’s had some age.

So there you go. A difference of opinions. Give it a go and tell me what you think of it. Did you pair food with it? Do you think it would benefit from more age? Let me know!

More Info: I received the Spicy Vines 2015 Dragon’s Kiss Syrah as a gift. (Cheers Jim!) Price: $40. For more information about Spicy Vines, their wines, and to purchase wines directly, please visit the Spicy Vines website.

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